§30οὐκ ἐλάνθανεν Οἰνείδας ὅτι Κάδμου μὲν Σεμέλη, τῆς δʼ ὃν οὐ πρέπον ἐστὶν ὀνομάζειν ἐπὶ τοῦδε τοῦ τάφου, τοῦ δʼ Οἰνεὺς γέγονεν, ὃς ἀρχηγὸς αὐτῶν ἐκαλεῖτο.
The Oeneidae did not fail to know that from Cadmus Semele was born, and from her he whom it is not fitting to name at this tomb, and from him Oeneus was born, who was called their founder.
κοινοῦ δʼ ὄντος ἀμφοτέραις ταῖς πόλεσιν τοῦ παρόντος κινδύνου, ὑπὲρ ἀμφοτέρων ἅπασαν ᾤοντο δεῖν ἀγωνίαν ἐκτεῖναι.
And since the present danger was common to both cities, they thought they ought to extend every struggle on behalf of both.
ᾔδεσαν Κεκροπίδαι τὸν ἑαυτῶν ἀρχηγὸν τὰ μὲν ὡς ἔστιν δράκων, τὰ δʼ ὡς ἔστιν ἄνθρωπος λεγόμενον, οὐκ ἄλλοθέν ποθεν ἢ τῷ τὴν σύνεσιν αὐτοῦ προσομοιοῦν ἀνθρώπῳ, τὴν ἀλκὴν δὲ δράκοντι.
The Cecropidae knew that their founder was said to be partly dragon and partly man, for no other reason than because his intelligence was likened to a man's, and his strength to a dragon's.
ἄξια δὴ τούτων πράττειν ὑπελάμβανον αὑτοῖς προσήκειν.
They assumed, indeed, that it was fitting for them to perform deeds worthy of these things.
§31ἐμέμνηνθʼ Ἱπποθωντίδαι τῶν Ἀλόπης γάμων, ἐξ ὧν Ἱπποθῶν ἔφυ, καὶ τὸν ἀρχηγὸν ᾔδεσαν· ὧν, τὸ πρέπον φυλάττων ἐγὼ τῷδε τῷ καιρῷ, τὸ σαφὲς εἰπεῖν ὑπερβαίνω.
The Hippothontidae remembered the marriage of Alope, from which Hippothoon was born, and knew their founder; but keeping what is fitting for this occasion, I pass over speaking clearly about these things.
ἄξια δὴ τούτων ᾤοντο δεῖν ποιοῦντες ὀφθῆναι.
They thought, indeed, that they must be seen doing deeds worthy of them.
οὐκ ἐλάνθανεν Αἰαντίδας ὅτι τῶν ἀριστείων στερηθεὶς Αἴας ἀβίωτον ἑαυτῷ ἡγήσατο τὸν βίον.
The Aeantidae did not fail to know that Ajax, when deprived of the prize of valor, considered life unlivable for himself.
ἡνίκʼ οὖν ὁ δαίμων ἄλλῳ τἀριστεῖʼ ἐδίδου, τότε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἀμυνόμενοι τεθνάναι δεῖν ᾤοντο, ὥστε μηδὲν ἀνάξιον αὑτῶν παθεῖν.
Therefore, when the divinity gave the prize to another, they thought they must die defending themselves against the enemy, so that they might suffer nothing unworthy of themselves.
οὐκ ἠμνημόνουν Ἀντιοχίδαι Ἡρακλέους ὄντʼ Ἀντίοχον.
The Antiochidae did not forget that Antiochus was the son of Heracles.
δεῖν οὖν ἡγήσαντʼ ἢ ζῆν ἀξίως τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ἢ τεθνάναι καλῶς.
They thought, therefore, that they must either live worthily of their heritage or die nobly.
§32οἱ μὲν οὖν ζῶντες οἰκεῖοι τούτων ἐλεινοί, τοιούτων ἀνδρῶν ἐστερημένοι καὶ συνηθείας πολλῆς καὶ φιλανθρώπου διεζευγμένοι, καὶ τὰ τῆς πατρίδος πράγματʼ ἔρημα καὶ δακρύων καὶ πένθους πλήρη· οἱ δʼ εὐδαίμονες τῷ δικαίῳ λογισμῷ.
Now, the living relatives of these men are indeed to be pitied, deprived of such men and separated from long and affectionate companionship, and the affairs of the fatherland are desolate and full of tears and mourning; but the dead are happy by right reasoning.
πρῶτον μὲν ἀντὶ μικροῦ χρόνου πολὺν καὶ τὸν ἅπαντʼ εὔκλειαν ἀγήρω καταλείπουσιν, ἐν ᾗ καὶ παῖδες οἱ τούτων ὀνομαστοὶ τραφήσονται καὶ γονεῖς περίβλεπτοι γηροτροφήσονται, παραψυχὴν τῷ πένθει τὴν τούτων εὔκλειαν ἔχοντες.
First, indeed, instead of a brief time, they leave behind a long and endless, ageless glory, in which both the famous children of these men will be reared, and their conspicuous parents will be supported in old age, having the glory of these men as a consolation for their mourning.
§33ἔπειτα νόσων ἀπαθεῖς τὰ σώματα καὶ λυπῶν ἄπειροι τὰς ψυχάς, ἃς ἐπὶ τοῖς συμβεβηκόσιν οἱ ζῶντες ἔχουσιν, ἐν μεγάλῃ τιμῇ καὶ πολλῷ ζήλῳ τῶν νομιζομένων τυγχάνουσιν.
Secondly, being free from disease in their bodies and inexperienced in their souls of the griefs which the living have over what has happened, they obtain great honor and much emulation in the customary rites.
οὓς γὰρ ἅπασα μὲν ἡ πατρὶς θάπτει δημοσίᾳ, κοινῶν δʼ ἐπαίνων μόνοι τυγχάνουσιν, ποθοῦσι δʼ οὐ μόνοι συγγενεῖς καὶ πολῖται, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν ὅσην Ἑλλάδα χρὴ προσειπεῖν, συμπεπένθηκεν δὲ καὶ τῆς οἰκουμένης τὸ πλεῖστον μέρος, πῶς οὐ χρὴ τούτους εὐδαίμονας νομίζεσθαι;
For when the whole fatherland buries them at public expense, and they alone obtain public praises, and not only relatives and citizens yearn for them, but all that is proper to call Greece, and even the greatest part of the inhabited world has joined in mourning them, how is it not necessary to consider them happy?
§34οὓς παρέδρους εἰκότως ἄν τις φήσαι τοῖς κάτω θεοῖς εἶναι, τὴν αὐτὴν τάξιν ἔχοντας τοῖς προτέροις ἀγαθοῖς ἀνδράσιν ἐν μακάρων νήσοις.
One might reasonably say that these men are assessors to the gods below, holding the same rank as the former brave men in the Islands of the Blessed.
οὐ γὰρ ἰδών τις οὐδὲ περὶ ἐκείνων ταῦτʼ ἀπήγγελκεν, ἀλλʼ οὓς οἱ ζῶντες ἀξίους ὑπειλήφαμεν τῶν ἄνω τιμῶν, τούτους τῇ δόξῃ καταμαντευόμενοι κἀκεῖ τῶν αὐτῶν τιμῶν ἡγούμεθʼ αὐτοὺς τυγχάνειν.
For no one has seen nor reported these things about them, but those whom we, the living, have assumed to be worthy of the honors above, we, conjecturing by their reputation, believe that they obtain the same honors there as well.
§35ἔστι μὲν οὖν ἴσως χαλεπὸν τὰς παρούσας συμφορὰς λόγῳ κουφίσαι· δεῖ δʼ ὅμως πειρᾶσθαι καὶ πρὸς τὰ παρηγοροῦντα τρέπειν τὴν ψυχήν, ὡς τοὺς τοιούτους ἄνδρας γεγεννηκότας καὶ πεφυκότας αὐτοὺς ἐκ τοιούτων ἑτέρων καλόν ἐστιν τὰ δείνʼ εὐσχημονέστερον τῶν ἄλλων φέροντας ὁρᾶσθαι καὶ πάσῃ τύχῃ χρωμένους ὁμοίους εἶναι.
Now, it is perhaps difficult to lighten the present misfortunes with speech; yet one must nevertheless try and turn the soul toward things that comfort, since for those who have begotten such men, and who themselves are born from other such ancestors, it is noble to be seen bearing dreadful things more gracefully than others, and to remain like themselves in whatever fortune they experience.
§36καὶ γὰρ ἐκείνοις ταῦτʼ ἂν εἴη μάλιστʼ ἐν κόσμῳ καὶ τιμῇ, καὶ πάσῃ τῇ πόλει καὶ τοῖς ζῶσιν ταῦτʼ ἂν ἐνέγκοι πλείστην εὐδοξίαν.
For this would be of the greatest honor and respect to those dead, and would bring the greatest good reputation to the whole city and to the living.
χαλεπὸν πατρὶ καὶ μητρὶ παίδων στερηθῆναι καὶ ἐρήμοις εἶναι τῶν οἰκειοτάτων γηροτρόφων· σεμνὸν δέ γʼ ἀγήρως τιμὰς καὶ μνήμην ἀρετῆς δημοσίᾳ κτησαμένους ἐπιδεῖν, καὶ θυσιῶν καὶ ἀγώνων ἠξιωμένους ἀθανάτων.
It is hard for a father and a mother to be deprived of their children and to be desolate of their closest supporters in old age; yet it is a proud thing to behold them having acquired ageless honors and remembrance of virtue at public expense, and having been deemed worthy of immortal sacrifices and games.
§37λυπηρὸν παισὶν ὀρφανοῖς γεγενῆσθαι πατρός· καλὸν δέ γε κληρονομεῖν πατρῴας εὐδοξίας.
It is painful for children to be made orphans of a father; yet it is a noble thing to inherit a father's good reputation.
καὶ τοῦ μὲν λυπηροῦ τούτου τὸν δαίμονʼ αἴτιον εὑρήσομεν ὄντα, ᾧ φύντας ἀνθρώπους εἴκειν ἀνάγκη, τοῦ δὲ τιμίου καὶ καλοῦ τὴν τῶν ἐθελησάντων καλῶς ἀποθνῄσκειν αἵρεσιν.
And we shall find that the divinity is the cause of this painful thing, to whom it is necessary for born men to yield, but the cause of the honorable and noble thing is the choice of those who willed to die nobly.
ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν οὐχ ὅπως πολλὰ λέξω, τοῦτʼ ἐσκεψάμην, ἀλλʼ ὅπως τἀληθῆ.
Now, for my part, I did not consider how I might say many things, but how I might say what is true.
ὑμεῖς δʼ ἀποδυράμενοι καὶ τὰ προσήκονθʼ ὡς χρὴ καὶ νόμιμα ποιήσαντες ἄπιτε.
And you, having lamented and having performed the fitting and customary rites as is proper, may depart.